Shoe welt



AOc't. I4, 1 930. A, H BA'CKUS 1,778,577

sHoE WELT Filed April 6, 1929 f Patented Oct. 14, 1930 PATENT OFFICE ALBERT HAM BAGKUS, F ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS SHOE WELT Application filed April 6, 1929. vSerial No. 353,072.

This invention relates to welts for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes. These welts as ordinarily manufactured consist of an elongated strip of leather' as illustrated in Figure 1 beveled at one edge and grooved along one face. The groove must be a certain distance from the end or edge of the welt or it will tear away, and unless the leather is of good quality, much trouble is given by the weakening and tearing out of the leather of this groove.

The general object of this invention is to do away with the necessity of grooving the leather strip and beveling it and secure a saving in the amount of leather used by reducing the specified width of thewelt from onehalf inch to seven-sixteenths of an inch and at the same time secure the same extension of edge around the outside of the linished shoe as is usually found.

A further object is to provide means for reducing the lip, from what in the finished welt constitutes a groove, to a point around the beveled edge with tape or fabric strip to thus give support and strength to the part through which the sewing extends to thus permit the reduction of the lap from the groove outward and strengthen the edge.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

panying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the ordinary and usual welt;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of my improved welt as inwardly out;

Figure 3 is a like View to Figure 2 but showing the cut opened to form a groove and form the beveled edge on the welt and the welt reinforced. Figures 4; and 5 are sectional views of a slightly different form of improved welt.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen in Figure 1 that A designates the usual strip of leather constituting the welt which is formed with the channel-shaped groove B and with a beveled edge C. This is the usual and common form of welt and as before stated, there is trouble in making these grooves B and in beveling the edge of the leather, and there is a tendency for the edge My invention is illustrated in the accom of the leather to tear awayV unless the leather is particularly good.

My invention contemplates the use of a narrow strip of leather of the width desired and which is not beveled nor grooved nor other,- wise shaped but as illustrated in Figure 2, is rectangular in cross section. This strip 10 adjacent one margin of the strip is cut or slitted as at l1 so as to providea kerf or slit which extends downward and toward. the edge 120i the strip. u

It will be seen that this slit is not a groove or anything of this nature and that the edge 12 of the welt is'not beveled. After this has been done, the reinforcing tape designated 13 in Figure 3 is forced into this slit or cut as at 14 and brought" around the edge-13 as at 15.` Forcing the tape in the slit or cut 11 forces the cut apart7 leXes the margin of the strip l10 slightly and thus causes the edge 12 to take an angular relation to the body of the strip so that in effect a bevel is formed on the edge 12. The margin ofthel welt is held inA this flexed condition by the tape or reinforcing fabric which will not allow the margin 11 to return to its original position or to the position shown in Figure 2. Of course, it will be understood that the reinforcing tape or strip 13 is glued or otherwise caused to adhere to the face of the welt 10.

' It is to'be also notedv that the reinforcing tape 13 gives support and strength to the relatively weakened margin of the `welt and to that part of the welt where the stitches go through. Thus I am able to reduce the lap from the groove outward by at least onesixteenth of an inch and at the same time the edge is strengthened and the margin is made stronger than before. This saving of one-sixteenth of an inch or more along theV edge or margin amounts to considerable. It is impossible to reduce this edge from the groove outward at present because there must be enoughV to support the stitches and hold when sewed. The saving of one-sixteenth of an inch of leather amounts to a saving of approximately one-half cent a yard and this saving is not counterbalanced by the cost of reinforcement as the reinforcement 13 is much cheaper than leather.

Leather has not the body and strength to inclined from the lower face of said body hold where the groove is too close to the edge portion.

but by reinforcing the leather as stated, the welt is made sufficiently strong even though the cut 11 is made closer to the edge.

My invention further permits the use of leather of relatively poor texture for the reason that the reinforce gives the needed strength.

Furthermore with this reinforcement even though there be several parts in the leather, stitches will not tear away,

In Figures 4 and 5 I have illustrated sectional views of a slightly modified form' of welt in which the slit l1a extends straight downward, that is, at right angles to the face of the welt instead of at an angle downward and toward the edge face of the welt. The

grooves thus formed are to be reinforced by the strip 13 in precisely the same manner as heretofore described. It will be understood that the strip 13 may be tape, fabric, thin leather or the like.

I claim l. A new article of manufacture, a welt for shoes comprising a flat section of leather having a longitudinal slit adjacent the margin thereof, and a reinforcing member extending downwardly into the slit and outwardly over the outer edge of the leather, said reinforcing member by extending downwardly into the slit opening the same and forcing the welt portion lying outwardly of said slit into an inclined position with respect to the body of the welt.

2. A new article of manufacture comprising a welt for shoes, said welt being a substantially flat section of leather having a longitudinal slit adjacent the margin thereof, and reinforcing means secured to said welt inwardly of said slit and extending outwardly and downwardly into the slit and outwardly and downwardly over the outer edge of the welt, said reinforcing means by extending downwardly into the slit forcing the outer edge portion of the welt outwardly to form an edge inclined with respect to the faces of the welt.

3. A new article of manufacture comprising a welt for shoes having substantially rectangular edges and an angularly inclined slit inwardly from the outer edge thereof, and reinforcing means mounted on said welt and extending outwardly and downwardly along the outer edge thereof, said reinforcing means by extending downwardly into said slit opening the same and forming an edge inclined with respect to the faces of the welt.

4. A new article of manufacture comprising a welt for shoes, said welt having a. body portion and an outer edge portion, and reinforcing means mounted on said edge portion and on and in said body portion for holding said outer `edge portion at an angleoutwardly In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my signature. 

